


Father's Day

by PattRose



Series: Father Series [1]
Category: Battle Creek (TV)
Genre: AU, Angst, Kid Fic, M/M, Mild Language, talk of death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2015-06-15
Packaged: 2018-04-04 12:52:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4138299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PattRose/pseuds/PattRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone from Russ’s past comes back to give him some news.  She’s got a surprise for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Father's Day

Father’s Day  
By PattRose  
Summary: Someone from Russ’s past comes back to give him some news. She’s got a surprise for him.   
Genre: Slash  
Warnings: talk of death, Language, Slash, Kid Fic  
Word Count: 3997  
Rating: Teen  
N/A: All of the pictures of the little girl are my grand-daughter from years ago.

[ ](http://s71.photobucket.com/user/PattRose1/media/fathersday_zps3ffvfgtr.jpg.html)

Russ and Milt had been living together for about six months and things were going well. Russ kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. He was a sort of glass half empty kind of guy, while Milt was a glass half full type of guy. Sometimes Russ wished that he was more like Milt. 

Milt was out for his morning run and Russ decided to head into the station and get a head start on the Belini case. He picked up a few things, washed his coffee cup out, wrote a note to Milt and left for the station. He didn’t want Milt to worry about him. 

*

Milt came walking in the door ready for his morning shower and was bummed to see that Russ was already gone. Sometimes running made him hornier than hell. Today was one of those days. He took off his shirt and heard a knock at the door. Milt opened it to a lovely young blond woman, standing there, looking quite surprised. 

“I’m sorry, I was looking for Russell Agnew. Do you happen to know him?”

“He’s my roommate. Can I help you?”

“I’m Susan Wilson and I’m really good friends with Russell. We go way back. I need to see him. It’s about his daughter.”

Milt realized he had never asked her in and now was glad he hadn’t. “His daughter? I wasn’t aware of Russ having a daughter.”

“She’s three years old now. He hasn’t seen her. He didn’t want children, so I raised her alone, but I’m tired of doing everything alone. So I came to see if he wants to be part of her life.”

To say that Milt was shocked was an understatement. “What is your daughter’s name, Susan?”

Susan looked at him before she answered and she asked, “Are you and Russ more than roommates?” She didn’t seem unhappy, she just needed answers. 

“You’re going to have to talk to Russ about this,” Milt answered, not knowing how else to handle it. 

“Could I come in a wait for him? It’s sort of important?” Susan asked, more forcefully this time. 

“Come on in and I’ll call him at work and tell him you’re here. He’ll probably take the day off to discuss things with you.” 

“I would appreciate it if you would at least put some clothes on,” Susan said in a joking manner. 

“Sit down and I’ll call him.” Milt walked into the bedroom and pulled a clean tee shirt on and called Russ. 

“Agnew…”

“Russ, do you remember anyone named Susan Wilson from almost four years ago?”

“Yes, I know her, why?” Russ asked. 

“She’s here to see you at the house. She might not be happy with our living arrangements and you’re a father.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? You know I don’t have any kids. I’ve never had any kids.”

“Well, she said you have a three year old daughter and she’s tired of raising her alone. So she wanted you to be part of her life. And by the way, she might not like me.”

“Milt, I’ll be there shortly. Make a pot of coffee, please? I feel like I’m going to need some.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Milt said. 

Milt walked out to the living room and said, “He’s on his way. I’m going to make coffee, would you like a cup?”

“Yes, I would, thank you very much. I must apologize for my attitude towards you earlier. I was taken off guard. I’m truly sorry. What is your name?” Susan asked. 

“I’m Special Agent Milton Chamberlain of the FBI. It’s really nice to meet you, Susan. And what is your daughter’s name?”

“Do you like being called Milton?” she asked. 

“No, I would prefer, Milt if you don’t mind.”

“Milt, our daughter’s name is Zoe. She turned three two weeks ago and I realized when she asked about her dad I needed to give her some answers.”

“Do you have a picture of her with you?” Milt asked, kindly. 

“I brought a small photo album of pictures. I brought the most recent ones. She’s very sweet.”

Milt sat down across from Susan and looked through the photo album. “She’s beautiful. I can see both of you in her facial features. I’m sure Russ will be thrilled.”

“You must not know Russ that well. The reason I didn’t tell him about Zoe is because he didn’t want any children. He told me that from the start. I was on birth control, but I would guess I must have missed a few pills because he’s the only man I was with during that time period. I brought up children when I found out I was pregnant and he got crazy. He said he never wanted children and it was as simple as that. But I really want him to meet Zoe. I think he might change his mind,” Susan hoped. 

The front door opened and Russ walked in and said, “Hello Susan. What the hell is this about me having a child with you? And why are you just telling me now?”

Milt could tell Russ was very angry. He decided to calm him down. “Russ, sit down and I’ll get you a cup of coffee. Talk to Susan, don’t yell at her. She didn’t have to come today, she wanted your daughter to know you.”

“And how do I know she’s mine?” Russ asked, still sounding quite pissed off. 

Susan started to cry. “Russ, you know I never slept with anyone but you years ago. You were the only one for me. And the only reason I left is because you said you never wanted children. And I don’t believe in abortion.”

Russ sat down next to her and put his arm around the crying woman and said, “I’m sorry. I’m an ass, I was an ass then and I haven’t changed any since then.”

Milt watched from the kitchen and listened to them talking about their life together almost four years ago and found himself feeling quite left out. Not to mention somewhat jealous. Russ was his, not Susan’s.

Milt brought them each a cup of coffee and set it down in front of them on the coffee table. “Drink some coffee and look at the pictures of your daughter.”

Russ said, “Susan, I don’t mean to hurt your feelings or anything but we’ll have to have a paternity test done to see if she’s mine. I can’t just take your word for it. Being a cop makes a person not believe anyone.”

“I totally understand. I already had hers done and it’s in this envelope. I did put your name on the birth certificate so someday she could look for you. She’s starting to ask why she doesn’t have a dad. I needed to give her answers. She might only be three, but she’s very intelligent and wants to meet you.”

Russ took the envelope from her and handed it to Milt. 

“Listen, Russ you talk with Susan. I’ve got to take a shower and get to work. We’ll talk about things tonight. But come in this afternoon and I’ll do a test on you for paternity. It was really good meeting you, Susan.” Milt turned and walked into their bedroom and felt like his world was falling apart. 

Russ saw the look on his face and knew that Milt was devastated. He turned to Susan and said, “I’ll be right back.”

He walked in and found Milt leaned against the shower door, knocking his head over and over again. “Milt, it doesn’t change anything between us. So stop right now. I love you and you love me, right? Is a three year old going to ruin what we have? I think not.”

“I’d like to think that things wouldn’t change, either.”

Russ pulled him in for a kiss and said, “Take your shower and go to work. Everything will be fine. I promise.”

“I do love you, Russ.”

“I know you do. Now, get ready for work. I’ll get this all taken care of by lunch.”

“You do plan on being in your daughter’s life, right?” Milt asked. 

“Of course I do. I can’t wait to see her.”

“She’s so fucking cute, Russ. Wait until you see the pictures she brought.”

“Okay, I’m going back out there. You get ready and then get to work. This will all be fine,” Russ assured him. 

“Be kind to her, she seems fragile and she’s so thin.”

“I’ll worry about Susan, you worry about getting to work.”

Russ joined Susan again and said, “He’s having a little bit of an anxiety attack over sharing me with you.”

“He seems really nice, Russ. I guess I didn’t know you liked guys.”

“I’m bi, Susan, so I like both. But right now I’m wild about Milt.”

“Here is a photo album of Zoe. I thought you might want to see what she looks like before you meet her. She’s very sweet and super cute. I swear she makes faces like you used to and she’s never been around you. Explain that to me,” Susan said, laughing. 

Russ took the photo album and fell in love with his little girl. She was darling. And she did indeed look sweet and cute.

[ ](http://s71.photobucket.com/user/PattRose1/media/sam3_zpsq2eqizth.jpg.html)

As he looked at each picture, he was a little more upset. He missed out on three years of his daughter’s life, all because he was an asshole. He saw the next picture and melted. 

“She looks like me when I was little. I had blond hair too,” Russ said.

[ ](http://s71.photobucket.com/user/PattRose1/media/sam4_zps2ozslwop.jpg.html)

“She’s going to love you, Russ.”

“I hope so. I’m a stranger to her. Why would she not be afraid?” Russ wondered. 

“She’s afraid of very little. And she’s a very good judge of character, so she takes after her dad in that department, too.”

Milt walked out and said, “I’ll see you at the station. Good meeting you, Susan. I can’t wait to meet Zoe. She looks like a little angel.”

“Thank you, Milt. I’m sure she’ll like you. There is something about you that’s very likable. I can’t wait for the two of you to meet after she meets her dad of course.”

“Of course,” Milt agreed. He smiled for the first time in the last hour and said, “I’m off. I’ll see you soon, Russ.”

“Have a good morning, Milt. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Russ continued looking at the album, telling Susan how precious she was. Then Russ knew he needed to ask some questions. 

“How are your parents going to take this news of me suddenly in her life, Susan?”

“My parents died in a car accident two years ago. It’s just me and Zoe and now you. I have some other news too. But that can wait.”

“No, tell me what’s going on?” Russ was afraid it was bad news about Zoe. 

“I’m dying, Russ. She’ll either be accepted by you, or she’ll go into foster care. I haven’t got too long. I just found out two months ago and it’s taken me this long to get up the nerve to talk to you.”

“God, Susan, I’m so sorry.” Russ pulled her into his arms and hugged her close. 

“Milt loves kids, Susan, so there is no worries there. He’s a great guy. I want you to stay with us in the spare room and we’ll help you through all of this.”

“That’s very sweet of you, Russ, but I’m going to stay with a friend until the end. She’s too old to raise Zoe, but she wants to take care of me. We both live in Denver. I want you to take Zoe now and raise her. I’ll be too sick and too weak to care for her and I can’t put that on you. Please say you’ll do this.”

“I’ll do this.” Russ was still holding her in his arms. 

“I’ve got all of her things with me so she can move in with you tonight if it’s possible. Or do you need more time to discuss it with Milt?”

Russ looked so sad as he answered, “Milt will understand, totally. She can move in tonight.”

“You won’t have the test back by then. You’re going to have to trust me, Russ.”

“I do trust you, Susan. I can’t wait to meet her. How about this afternoon we meet here and she can set up her room as she would like it,” Russ suggested. 

“Okay, we’ll meet you here at 3:00, is that good? My friend is with me and she’s going to tell me if you’re a good person for Zoe or not. Although, we have no choices left, do we Russ?”

“No… I promise she’s going to like me. I’ll even shave and wear a suit when she comes.”

“Don’t dress up, but shaving wouldn’t hurt at all. She’s worried that you won’t love her enough. She’s seventy-four, so as you can understand she’s not able to take on a three year old herself.”

“I hope she likes me, because this is going to happen, Susan. I need a photo album of you for Zoe. When she asks about her mommy, I need pictures up all over her room so she’ll never forget.”

“I have all of that packed in her things. I’m so glad to see you taking this so well, Russ. I honestly didn’t know if you would accept her or not.”

“I’ll love her and adore her for the rest of her life, Susan. I don’t want you to worry about anything. But what are we going to tell Zoe?”

“I’ve already told her that I have to go on a long trip and she’s going to stay with her daddy. She’s very excited about it. She’ll miss me, but I have a feeling that you and Milt will keep her busy enough to not miss me too much. She’s a good little girl.”

“Russ, could Milt take some pictures of you and me together this afternoon? That way she’ll have pictures of us together, too.”

“Certainly, that’s a very good idea. Where are you staying?” Russ asked. 

“About ten minutes from here. So, I need to go. I’ll see you at three. Thank you again for accepting her into your life. You’re a good man, Russ. You always were.”

Russ hugged her once again and walked her to the door. “I’ll see you at three.”

She walked away and Russ never wanted to cry so badly in his life. Susan looked terrible. She honestly looked like she was going to go soon. Russ was going to go to the station but decided to call Kim and tell her that he needed some family time off. He told her a little about what was going on and she said not to worry. 

Then Russ called Milt. 

“Chamberlain…”

“Milt, can you come home? I need you.”

Milt knew something was horribly wrong. “I’ll be right there, Russ. Stay right where you are. I’m coming.”

*

Milt came rushing into the house and saw no Russ. He ran to the bedroom and saw Russ lying on their bed. Milt kicked off his shoes, his suit and then climbed into bed with Russ. “Talk to me, Russ.”

“She’s dying. That’s why she brought her to me. She has no family and wants me to take her tonight. Her friend is going to stay with her in Denver until the end. My God, can you imagine the pain in her heart about leaving her baby with me? I wouldn’t have even found out about Zoe if it wouldn’t have been for the cancer. She wasn’t going to bug me, she said. I would have missed out on everything, not just the first three years. And what in the hell are we going to do with a three year old child, Milt?”

Milt held him close and kissed his temple. “We’re going to find a perfect day care center and go from there. We’ll also have a nanny on call for when we get called out in the middle of the night. We’ll be able to do it, Russ, I know we can.”

“God, I hope I don’t fuck this up. She has no one else, Milt. No one else in the world that gives a shit about her.”

“When is she bringing her over?” Milt asked. 

“At three. So I have three hours to pull myself together. She’s the one that’s dying and I’m on the verge of crying. There is something wrong with that.”

“Russ, I don’t even know her and I’m on the verge of crying. This is going to break her heart. I think she should stay here.”

“I already offered and she said she doesn’t want Zoe to remember this time at all. She wants only good memories.”

“I guess that makes sense. But it’s going to be so hard for her. I can’t imagine how tough it’s going to be. And Zoe is going to be scared to death about staying with two complete strangers in a strange city and house,” Milt guessed. 

“Let’s get up and get the spare room done up for a child. How does that sound?” Russ asked. 

“It sounds good, Russ. What do you think we should have as the theme for the bedroom?”

“Something with Disney princesses, I would guess. She’ll have a double bed in her room, because that’s what’s in there and we’ll be able to sleep with her when she’s scared to start off with. Right?” Russ asked, hoping that Milt would agree with him. 

They both put on jeans and tee shirts and went shopping to doll up Zoe’s room. They ended up having a bit of fun shopping for little girls things. They bought some wonderful toys for her and some dolls too. Milt was worse than Russ was. Russ knew he was in trouble. Zoe would probably have Milt wrapped around her little finger the first day. _Oh who are you kidding? You’re already wrapped around her finger and you haven’t even met her yet._

*  
At three o’clock, there was a knock on the door and an older woman standing there with Zoe. Russ asked, “Where is Susan?”

Zoe asked, “Are you my Daddy?”

“Yes, I am, Zoe. It’s very good to meet you.”

“Mommy went to heaven today. She’s not coming back. It’s just going to be me and you, Daddy.”

Russ picked her up and held her so close and tried not to cry. Milt hugged both of them and Milt finally pulled away and said, “Please come in.”

“I’m Beth, Susan’s best friend. We went through treatment together. It doesn’t seem fair that I’m the one that’s left does it?”

Russ put Zoe down and hugged Beth. “I think that there is always a plan, we don’t always like the plan, but there is a reason for everything.”

“You must be Russ,” she said. 

“I am and this is my better half, Milt. Zoe this is my friend Milt. He lives here too.”

Milt shook hands with Beth and she said, “Could you help me bring in her things?” 

Russ turned to Milt and said, “Could you get something to eat and drink for Zoe while I do this?”

“Come on, Zoe. We don’t want to carry no stinking bags in. We’ll go have pudding and juice, how does that sound?” Milt had her little hand in his big one and he melted. 

“I love pudding.”

*

Outside Russ said, “I’m so sorry about Susan, Beth. We had hoped to talk her into staying here. I wanted to spend some time with her. I’ll always regret my actions towards her.”

“She never blamed you. She loved you. She never dated or anything. There was only you in her mind and your daughter. She was a wonderful mother. In the bags are all of Zoe’s clothes and toys and anything else you could possibly need. If there is anything else you need, here is my card and number. I would love pictures and a phone call from time to time. I’m quite fond of your little girl. And as time goes on, she’s going to forget her mom, so please try and talk about Susan as often as you can. I don’t want her to be forgotten. And if you’re wondering, her full name is Zoe Paige Agnew.”

“We’re going to put pictures up and never let Zoe forget her. That’s her mom, she’s going to know how much her mom loved her every single day. I promise you that we’ll be sure to do this right. Susan named her well. I love the name Zoe and Paige.”

“All of her legal papers are in this box. You’ll need to get things set up for you and Zoe. Susan wanted you to know that if you couldn’t handle it, she would understand.”

“Well, I wouldn’t understand. I’m going to handle it just fine. Even the teen years, are going to be wonderful. Milt and I both like kids a lot, so that’s a good place to start.”

“Thank you so much for making her life easier. She’s going to have a few bad days missing her mama. So please try and understand that.”

“We’re going to miss her mama. So of course we’ll understand. Milt and I are both looking forward to this new chapter in our lives. We’re going to be sure that she’s happy, healthy and loved. I never want you to worry about her.” Russ carried all the boxes into the house and then went back for the suitcases. Once inside the house, Russ put all of the legal boxes into his room and all the suitcases into Zoe’s room. 

Before long, Beth had to leave for her flight home. Zoe cried when she left but not for too long. Milt showed her the new toys that had bought for her and that took her mind off Beth for the time being. 

*

After bath time, Zoe had on her favorite pajama’s and said, “Will you read me a book, Daddy?”

“I sure will, sweetie.”

[ ](http://s71.photobucket.com/user/PattRose1/media/100_1374_zpszsukcjy9.jpg.html)

Both men surrounded her on the bed that night and read to her. Each of them read one book. She finally fell asleep at 11:00 that night. They left the door open so they could hear her if she woke up and went in to get ready for bed. 

“Thank you for all your help, Milt. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“I was glad to do it. She’s precious, Russ. We’re going to have more good days than bad. It’s going to be great.”

They got ready for bed and got into bed and snuggled together. Neither of them were really tired. Too many things on their minds, it would seem. 

Milt finally said, “Oh, I called the main office and took a week’s leave. That way we can find a good place for Zoe to go during the day while we’re working.”

Russ smiled at him and said, “I love you so much.”

“And I love you back. Now, let’s try and get some sleep. We’re going to have our hands full come tomorrow.” 

Russ said, "You know Father's Day takes on a whole new light for us now."

"Yes, it does. And we'll do the best job that we can."

“Night, Milt.”

“Night, Russ.” 

And like that they were both sound asleep. They both knew there were a lot of things coming up, but they also knew that they could handle them together. 

TBC


End file.
